Are Sam Altman and Elon Musk about to kiss and make up?
The feuding AI impresarios are about to meet in person and it could be a beautiful reunion or the most awkward moment ever.
Once upon a time, Open AI boss Sam Altman and Tesla owner Elon Musk were allies in the mission to build and control artificial general intelligence (AGI).
But those days are well and truly gone, with the tech barons publicly locking horns on X whilst their companies' legal teams prepare for a courtroom battle reportedly scheduled for next year.
A showdown of sorts could happen much sooner than expected as the squabbling billionaires flight to Saudi Arabia for a meeting dubbed "MAGA in the desert" but officially called the Saudi-US Investment Forum.
This means we could be about to see the greatest rapprochement in the brief history of Openai as the duo kiss and make up - or a behind-the-scenes Chatham House rules cringe fest of epic proportions as the enemies awkwardly encounter each other under the watchful eye of God Emperor Trump.
Up to $600 billion in deals on everything from AI to defence or healthcare is reportedly up for grabs, meaning both warring parties have a good reason to swallow their pride and become friends again - even if only temporarily.
Unfortunately, we're not sure this is going to be a straightforward process. You can read more about the history of Musk vs Altman by reading our article asking if Musk wants to become an "AGI dictator" - a question raised in emails published by OpenAI.
Why are Sam Altman and Elon Musk no longer friends?
The latest argument started on Saturday, May 10, when Musk shared a Twitter reply chain from 2016 on X, which began when computer scientist Paul Graham wrote: "Few have done more than Sam Altman to defeat Trump."
"Thank you Paul," Altman wrote at the time.
The OpenAI boss then shared an article from 2022 that quoted Musk as saying that Trump should "hang up his hat" and "sail into the sunset".
"We were both wrong, or at least I certainly was," Altman added. "But that was from 2016 and this was from 2022."
He then wrote: "Anyway. See you next week. Let's be friends. AGI too important to let a lil feud get in the way."
What have Elon Musk and Sam Altman said about each other?
The end of the animosity between these two titans would probably be good news for AI development - but bad news for online dramahounds like us
Musk and Altman have traded barbs many times on X in front of a huge global audience.
In response to Elon Musk’s unsolicited $97.4 billion bid to acquire OpenAI, Sam Altman quipped: "No thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want."
READ MORE: OpenAI reveals how Sora was tricked into generating x-rated videos
Musk also questioned whether OpenAI had enough money to contribute to the $500 billion Stargate AI infrastructure initiative.
Altman later retorted: "Just one more mean tweet and then maybe you’ll love yourself…"
Shots fired! Stay tuned for more news from the frontline of Musk and Altman's war of words.
Have you got a story or insights to share? Get in touch and let us know.
